How should we go into TH ? please help..

[Rob4]

Sorry for posting a lot, i am trapped in thoughts .

We are in Cambodia, Kampot, have to leave soon (visa), obviously to Thailand.

 

Our passports : 2 setv from 2018 with a month between them, 1 visa exempt for 2 weeks.

Last time in Thailand 28Dec, 2018.

We have cash, hotels, flights out, rental+ID of a thai.

 

We want to go in with visa exempt because Phnom Penh will not give us setv, and probably not in Saigon.

People get denied in BKK airport too much as I read here.

 

Options:

1. Go by land with exempt, not Poipet - so what border is good ?

2. Fly- there are no flights directly(connected) to Surathani (our destination) from Phnom, so we must do the passport check in BKK-DM (bad!)

3. Go to hcmc, try the setv anyway, get denied, fly directly to Surathani (usually no problems) with exempt.

 

 

What reduce our chance to get denied and make our life simple ? 

 

Thank you !

 

[ubonjoe]

1. From Kampot travel to the Cham Yeam crossing to Trat province to enter Thailand visa exempt. Map: https://goo.gl/maps/pts4p6RKLXH2

Then travel overland to Bangkok or fly from the airport in Trat to Bangkok.

2. I don't think you would have a problem flying in with your history.

3. I see no reason why you would have a problem getting a SETV at the consulate in HCMC.

[Rob4]

35 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

1. From Kampot travel to the Cham Yeam crossing to Trat province to enter Thailand visa exempt. Map: https://goo.gl/maps/pts4p6RKLXH2

Then travel overland to Bangkok or fly from the airport in Trat to Bangkok.

2. I don't think you would have a problem flying in with your history.

3. I see no reason why you would have a problem getting a SETV at the consulate in HCMC.

 

 

Thanks very much!

 

#1  how long for all this border crossing thing to get into bkk ? is it a big hassle ?

#2 how is that? i read here that people with 2 setv in a year get denied now in bkk.

#3 I forgot to say last 2 SETV where in Saigon and they where not that easy with my gf(asian). So it will be the third.

Edited February 20, 2019 by Rob4

[DrJack54]

Why does your asian gf need anything to do with Thai consulate in Saigon? Have you considered getting to Vientiane (by air?). If possible you could try visa exempt into Thai and fly AirAsia udon thani to Surat thani via DM. Domestic flights. If refused ve at non khai border you could obtain setv at consulate Vientiane. 

Edited February 20, 2019 by DrJack54
Error

[ubonjoe]

13 minutes ago, Rob4 said:

#1  how long for all this border crossing thing to get into bkk ? is it a big hassle ?

#2 how is that? i read here that people with 2 setv in a year get denied now in bkk.

#3 I forgot to say last 2 SETV where in Saigon and they where not that easy with my gf(asian). So it will be the third.

1. After crossing the border you would to Muang Trat and get a bus to Bangkok. Or as I wrote you could fly from the airport to Bangkok. Bangkok airways has flights from there.

2. I can assure you many people enter with far more than 2 SETV's without a problem. There is a lot of misinformation floating around online.

3. I don't recall any reports about a limit on the number of visas that they will issue.

[Rob4]

@DrJack54 thank you. my girlfriend is from Saigon.. going to Vientiane then back to Surathani is a mess that cost $600.

Flying Airasia via DM is "self transfer" which means passport check in DM - which I heard may be bad for us?

[Rob4]

Thanks ubonjoe .

 

So if listening to both of you, i have an option for border crossing, maybe an option to try a visa in hcmc, or just a flight= do the passport thing in bkk which seems by your replay may not be a problem.

 

IF YOU HAD TO GUESS BASED ON THIS FORUM, FLY VIA BKK WITH EXEMPT MAY BE OK ?

(would you try saigon setv ?)

 

Thanks and sorry for being a little bit neurotic . Don't want them to deny us and separate us at airport. 

[DrJack54]

19 minutes ago, Rob4 said:

@DrJack54 thank you. my girlfriend is from Saigon.. going to Vientiane then back to Surathani is a mess that cost $600.

Flying Airasia via DM is "self transfer" which means passport check in DM - which I heard may be bad for us?

Your history setv, ve, time out of Thailand etc is not bad. Some of the threads can be scary but most are folk staying in los almost continuously for year up. Cant see why you could not enter Thailand with setv or even visa exempt. You will need flight out of Thai for both setv and visa exempt. Problem is fact your in Cambodia. Hindsight is always easy, guess if you had gone to Vientiane in first place you would be back Surat thani already. Good luck.

Edited February 20, 2019 by DrJack54
Error

[Rob4]

@DrJack54 thanks again. Well I just read here so I scared based on this only, but we stayed 6 months in thailand in 2018. To me it seems a lot. (not something tourist do)

We also ask in Phnom agency about visa, they said 2 setv in passport - we should not try to ask visa.

 

Which you think will be less chance to get denied setv in Saigon or visa exempt ?

Thanks.

[DrJack54]

1 hour ago, Rob4 said:

@DrJack54 thanks again. Well I just read here so I scared based on this only, but we stayed 6 months in thailand in 2018. To me it seems a lot. (not something tourist do)

We also ask in Phnom agency about visa, they said 2 setv in passport - we should not try to ask visa.

 

Which you think will be less chance to get denied setv in Saigon or visa exempt ?

Thanks.

First of all in all these threads its best to be guided by ubonjoe or other expert. I stupidly thought you were in pp. I see now your in kampot. Personally, from there I wouldnt  mind a road trip to cham yeam as per one of ubon suggestions. Don't know what sort of rush your in but you could easily spend few days in koh Chang. Chilled joint. I've done minibus and big bus sometimes from there to bkk. Then you could fly Surat thani. Going back to Saigon for setv seems bit of trip in itself. Also couple day turn around on visa.

[elviajero]

7 hours ago, Rob4 said:

People get denied in BKK airport too much as I read here.

No they don’t! There are a handful of reports from millions of entries. A few people get denied, and some get questioned.

 

In the unlikely event that you get questioned a hotel booking and onward flight is what they will expect to see.

 

My understanding is that you only stayed two weeks last time, and have been out of the country a few weeks; in which case you shouldn’t have a problem using visa exemption again. Immigration are mostly interested in the time spent in the country and trying to stop people living full time as a ‘tourist’.

 

Getting a visa would reduce the chances of being questioned or denied entry, but IMO — based on your post — you shouldn’t have a problem entering using visa exemption at either Bangkok airport.

Edited February 20, 2019 by elviajero

[JackThompson]

Re: Saigon SETV - If you gf is Vietnamese, they may worry she is coming to work here, since wages are higher in Thailand.  Other than that, you do not have very many, and seem to have taken time-out.  We do not have a lot of data on Viet-nationals applying there in this forum.

 

Re Visa Exempt by Air: Yes, they have begun hassling people at Bangkok Airports who spent 6 mo the year before, and were gone for 6 mo - even coming from wealthy countries.   You don't have to be "living here" to have problems.  I definitely would not try entering visa-exempt there.  It is possible one of you makes it through, and the other one not.

 

Re SETV Entry by Air:  Some get questioned, but you are unlikely to be denied-entry with Tourist Visa and time-out between entries.  That said, I would come in by land, even if I went all the way to Saigon for the Visa, first.  I would do this, because they don't follow the laws there - they literally invent total fabrications for their "official" rejection-stamps, so it's a roll of the dice what people of that caliber might do.  Scary.  One exception might be flying direct into Chiang Mai (not through Bangkok), where we do not have bad reports.  But getting rejected by-air involves detention and forced-return on a last-minute-priced ticket.  Rejection by land (rare) you just walk back where you came from and get your exit-stamp cancelled.

 

Re Visa Exempt by Land:  You can get 2x land-border Visa-Exempt entries each calendar year at any land-border which follows the rules (all but Poipet/Aranya).  If coming in via Koh Kong, not hard to catch the many minibuses leaving frequently for Trat, then a bus to Bangkok.

 

Re SETV Entry by Land:  No limit exists in the law, and this is followed at all land-border entry points except Poipet/Aranya. 

[Rob4]

20 hours ago, elviajero said:

No they don’t! There are a handful of reports from millions of entries. A few people get denied, and some get questioned.

 

In the unlikely event that you get questioned a hotel booking and onward flight is what they will expect to see.

 

My understanding is that you only stayed two weeks last time, and have been out of the country a few weeks; in which case you shouldn’t have a problem using visa exemption again. Immigration are mostly interested in the time spent in the country and trying to stop people living full time as a ‘tourist’.

 

Getting a visa would reduce the chances of being questioned or denied entry, but IMO — based on your post — you shouldn’t have a problem entering using visa exemption at either Bangkok airport.

How after all of that did you understand I stayed a few weeks ? I wrote very carefully that in 2018 it was 6 months.

and the guy before you says 6 months is too much in the previous year.

Who to believe in this website ? some say I am stupidly scared, others says i am right.

 

[elviajero]

2 hours ago, Rob4 said:

How after all of that did you understand I stayed a few weeks ?

Because you wrote; “1 visa exempt for 2 weeks.” Which appeared to be your last stay.

 

2 hours ago, Rob4 said:

I wrote very carefully that in 2018 it was 6 months.

and the guy before you says 6 months is too much in the previous year.

Who to believe in this website ?

No one can give you a definitive answer because there is no set limit. The decision whether or not to let you in is at the discretion of the IO. 

 

2 hours ago, Rob4 said:

some say I am stupidly scared, others says i am right.

They are trying to stop people living/working in the country, not regular short term tourists.

 

If you haven’t been in the country since December (“Last time in Thailand 28Dec, 2018”) you should have no problem entering again using VE. But be prepared for questioning and have you bookings and cash to hand.